For any Muslims or someone married to a Muslim and living in America, especially for the women who wear?

Question

jelleba and/or hijab. Do people stare at you when you are in public? Has anyone done something to you, your spouse or someone you personally know, just because they knew or assumed you were Muslim. If so did it happen before 9/11, has it gotten worse since 9/11. Have any of you actually feared for your or your spouse's safety?

Answer 1

I wear the jilbab long kimars and the niqab. People stare at me all the time, it doesn't bother me though most are just curious. Sometimes people say very rude things, but I just shrug it off most of the time. A few times I have snapped back when the person was really rude or wouldn't leave me alone. Sometimes I have been in a bad mood and they just caught at a bad time. For example one time a man came up to me and asked if I had any bombs on me. I just looked at him like he was stupid and say why as a matter of a fact I do. He took off running. Looking back that was stupid of me to say as he could of called the FBI on me. I had my two toddlers with me at the time to. It just popped out. Only one time did I fear for my personal safety. I was walking with my two children in a double stroller and this man was yelling very hateful things to me he was also banging on the outside of his door. I thought he was about to get out the car but the light turned green and he pulled off. There were lots of car there and I hoped that if he did get out someone would come and help me, but thankfully he did not. No matter all this I wear it with pride, I am a Muslim women and I only care what God thinks of me.

Answer 2

It doesn' teach they are dogs. There is a lot of variation in how Islam is practiced. There are some places I would never want to be and others that I would be very happy. Byafree- You claim Islam has immancipated women but make NO proof or even statements of in what ways it has released them. You're understanding of Judaism is poor. You stated all those items out of context and left off all the ways in which women are valued, and can do things that men are not permitted to. It's a division of practice. If you've ever visited a Jewish household - you'd know in an instant - the women is rarely subjegated but rather tend to be equal to and a little bit more in charge of much (sshhh.). That's why Judaism passes down through the mother. You also limited to orthodox because you know the true is that in other movements of Judaism feminism has made total inroads - for instance there are conservative and reform women Rabbis. You're answer was obviously to vilify Judiasm since the other item you picked was an ancient society that doesn't exist - and didn't bother with the patriarchial behavior of Christianity or Hinduism. Oh, since I wrote, you''ve added a few more lists. Yet you still haven't explained Islam. I know Mulism women doctors who say the rate of wife beating is astronomical. Again, it's not everyone or all versions of Islam, but it is a cultural reflection.

Answer 3

I revered to Islam 1 year after 9/11 and I actually wore the Hijab on the plane just to see different reaction and I was forced to take off my hijab becaues another passenger was uncomfortable with it.

Now with it being 5 years later I still get a lot of stares I do wear Abaya and Hijab I also work at Victoria's Secret and wear hijab funny I know but I do get a lot of looks and a lot of questions. I don't worry for my saftey or my spouse because In islam we have to wear Hijab its not an option and Allah gives us many things and if Im harmed for something that Allah ask me then may Allah reward me or any of us that this happens to.

Answer 4

i live in USA, so i was here before and after 9/11, to be honest i never had any weird looks or people starring,i do wear the hijab and sometimes a abaya,all my neighbors are American some are from Italy and some from Greece and they are so nice,they never treat me different and when my husband need help with fixing stuff in our house they offer to help.

Answer 5

Asalam Alaykum,

I wear hijab and I wear modest clothes and my husband is Muslim and were in Yukon, OK, lol. This is prob where we got the most stares but I think people are used to us now. I do not care bc I guess I am used to the way I dress and my hijab. I feel normal. It only bothers you when it does not feel normal for you. I care more what Allah things then people of this world, that is how you have to look at it.

I am sure if I was alone people would do and say a lot more. But I never go out without my husband he protects me.

Answer 6

I wasn't a Muslim before 9/11.

Yes, people stare at me when I am in public. Sometimes people won't greet me or won't speak to me assuming I don't speak English (I am a native born American) or they want nothing to do with me. Some people try to talk to me about Jesus. Some people won't help me when I need help in a store....they either ignore me or follow me around thinking I am going to steal something or possibly blow up the place. At the mall these people didn't want us to get on this HUGE elevator saying there wasn't any more room when there was tons. I stuck my arm out to hold the door and pushed my way in and spoke loudly about what they said to us. Then I spoke in French because I was with my husband and one of his Moroccan friends and we all speak French. That really throws people off because they think French is such a sophisticated language and stuff....and they are expecting "scary" Arabic..rotfl.....That incident was particularly interesting because my husband just got done telling me in that car that I exagerate my stories about what people do to me because I am "visibly" Muslim as I wear hijab/djellaba ....and then that happened and he had to keep his mouth shut!

We got pulled over once because we changed turning directions with our turn signal when we were leaving the parking lot of a library....that was just ODD, he said it was a suspicious thing to do(???)...and it was like a week after he came here and he had to give the guy his crazy pink Moroccan driver's license. LOL Anyway, the guy let us go... I try to be extremely nice as I was before I was Muslim but people just react in all different ways....I've been yelled at and treated poorly more than before I wore the headscarf. I even wore djellabas w/o the headscarf before I wore it full time and people didn't stare at me half as much. Most people don't bug my husband because they just think he's Mexican....maybe if he could grow a full beard they would think something else....when he wears a djellaba and stuff they look at him funny too. At work they like him but bug him all the time and say stuff about terrorists or ask if you can have sex with all four of your wives at the same time etc -Really sick stuff but what do you expect anymore from a bunch of men?

Although men can be seen by outsiders as terrorists I think women get it worse because we are generally more visible as Muslims and people keep thinking we are oppressed. They also don't see a lot of us in the work place so they don't get to know us.

Scared for him? NO, I fear a car accident or a deranged customer more than anything else. Scared for me? A little bit.

edit: I should say I get stared at more at work (an airport) then in my community because tons of people are used to seeing me and other Muslim women. At work it REALLY bothers me becasue I mostly work by myself at a small store and am cornered when they come up to me to say things and stuff. Plus, I just want to do my job and go home like everyone else. Leave me alone!

Answer 7

Sometimes I wear niqab and I started after 9/11. Yes, I get stares and sometimes people comment and say rude things to me too. Other times, people give my husband dirty looks because they assume he forced me to wear it. Sometimes its hard, but I try to ignore it and just do my own thing.

Answer 8

i'm not married, but lets just say that after 9/11, the muslim stereotype has gone too far. right now, i would say it calmed down a little, but before, we had ppl throwing snow balls and rocks and spitting on our car and stuff like that. now, yeah i still get nasty looks, and nasty attitudes too, but i always ignore them, because i know they are so ignorant.
but fear about my safety-never! my trust and my family's trust lies in Allah's hands.

Answer 9

yes they do stare at us.they haven't done anything to me,but once they tried but someone came and tolled me they wonted.i think it got worse after 9\11 everyone would act theirs a boom in the skool and just to mack fun.sometimes i do and some times i don't feel that i'm safe.

Answer 10

ironically i live in New york.I am sunni so i wear my hijab sometimes like after Salah or Jumah at Mosque on my way home i keep my hijab on.I get a few but not out of rudness but curiosity probually.